London midday: Banks lift Footsie on euro optimism
5th Dec 2011 12:00
Hopes that leaders can bring an end to the euro crisis lifted markets on Monday. Many believe that it is now make-or-break time for the single currency, echoing remarks made last week by Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn that the continent had just 10 days to save the euro. The de
Read moreLondon open: Stocks up on euro hopes, Michael Page tanks
5th Dec 2011 08:17
London's blue chip index has opened higher, building on last week's gains of 7.5%, as a pivotal week in the Eurozone crisis kicks off. KEY WEEK FOR EURO French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are due to meet in Paris today to discuss the centralised control of Eurozon
Read moreTesco director makes a return
10th Nov 2011 15:25
Chairman of Tesco Bank Andrew Higginson, who recently announced his plans to check-out from the supermarket giant next year, has sold £1.4m worth of his shares in the firm. 54-year-old Higginson, who was formerly group finance and strategy director for the firm, is the man behind Tesco's lucrative
Read moreBroker tips: Smiths Group, Premier Foods, Hays
7th Oct 2011 12:42
Nomura has downgraded Smiths Group, the medical devices and airport scanner maker, from neutral to reduce, saying that the firm is "likely to grow slower than other companies in our coverage universe". "Smiths Group is a conglomerate of five businesses and its end market exposure is one of the most
Read moreBroker snap: UBS stays confident about Hays
7th Oct 2011 12:36
UBS has reiterated its buy rating on recruitment firm Hays, after its first quarter "confounded gloomy expectations". However, the target price is cut from 105p to 100p, after accounting for foreign exchange movements in the last five weeks. Nevertheless, the broker says that its underlying growth
Read moreUPDATE: Friday broker round-up
7th Oct 2011 09:28
Premier Foods: Credit Suisse cuts target to 8p from 25p. Compass: Credit Suisse keeps at outperform. EnCore: Royal Bank of Scotland raises target to 70p from 46p. Mouchel: Royal Bank of Scotland lowers target price to 18p form 75p. Hays: UBS keeps at buy, lowers target to 100p from 105p. Smi
Read moreFriday tips round-up: Intermediate Capital, Hays, Victrex...
7th Oct 2011 06:56
Even if all the analysts in all the world think your shares are a raging buy, it may not help much in these markets, says the Tempus column in the Times. Intermediate Capital Group (ICG) shares, before yesterday's 16p bounce to 214p, had lost 41 per cent of their value since August 7. Therefore, acc
Read moreUPDATE: Thursday broker round-up
6th Oct 2011 09:28
Intermediate Capital: RBS cuts target from 405p to 360p, buy rating maintained. EasyJet: Credit Suisse upgrades to overperform from neutral. RyanAir: Credit Suisse upgrades to overperform from neutral. Tesco: Credit Suisse reiterates overperform with target at 500p. Tesco: Evolution Securities
Read moreHays looks abroad for growth
6th Oct 2011 07:42
Hays, the recruitment firm, has seen like-for-like worldwide growth of 15% in net fee income with its Asia Pacific arm achieving 21% growth in the three months to the end of September. The UK and Ireland, however, has posted a 4% like-for-like (LFL) decline, with private sector growth of 2% offset
Read moreUPDATE: Tuesday broker round-up
4th Oct 2011 08:25
BHP Billiton: Citi reiterates buy and keeps target at 2,405p. BHP Billiton: Credit Suisse upgrades to outperform from neutral; cuts target to 2,800p from 3,160p. Anglo American: Credit Suisse downgrades to neutral from overperform. Lonmin: Credit Suisse downgrades to underweight from neutral. S
Read moreUPDATE: Tuesday broker round-up
20th Sep 2011 13:38
BAE Systems: Societe Generale upgrades to buy, raises target to 330p from 280p. Kesa Electricals: Espirito Santo downgrades to sell, cuts target from 110p to 75p. Wilmington Group: Peel Hunt upgrades to buy. Moneysupermarket.com: Brewin Dolphin upgrades to buy. Barratt Developments: Citigroup up
Read moreFriday tips round-up: Restaurant Group, Hargreaves Lansdown, Hays
2nd Sep 2011 06:48
Restaurant Group operates the Frankie & Benny's, Chiquito and Garfunkel's brands. It showed good form in the half year to early July, growing adjusted pre-tax profits by 7.7 per cent to £24.6m. The group also grew its sales on outlets open at least a year by 3%, adding it had continued this momentum
Read moreLondon close: Stocks close higher after choppy day
1st Sep 2011 16:39
The FTSE 100 finished in the blue having flitted between positive and negative territory for much of the day. Wealth manager Hargreaves Lansdown was the star performer after its results. Assets under administration climbed 41% in the year ended 30 June. The wealth management firm hiked its dividen
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Charter rises, Melroses falls after offer increase
1st Sep 2011 14:40
Charter International is in demand after engineering firm Melrose upped the price it is willing pay for its rival by 18p per share. Charter is valued at £1.43bn at this price. Melrose saw shares fall. International recruitment firm Hays jumped after reporting strong growth in profits last year, dr
Read moreBroker tips: Hargreaves Lansdown, DMGT, Hays
1st Sep 2011 12:55
Singer Capital Markets says its fair value rating on wealth management firm Hargreaves Lansdown (HL) is currently under review but has highlighted the group's in-line final results, strong dividend payment and robust current trading. "Considering the increasing volatility of markets towards the com
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